“I pray you come to enjoy and rest in the hope to which God has called you” (Eph.1:13). For God gave us “new birth into a living hope” (1Pet.1:3). And our “hope will not disappoint or shame us, because God poured his love into our hearts” (Rom.5:5) In face, Abba has made us “prisoners of hope” (Zech.9:12)—that’s how certain our hope is.
Therefore, “be joyful in hope, patient in trouble, constant in prayer” (Rom.12:12).“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Rom.15:13).
Lord Jesus, it’s one thing for us to have hope, but quite another for hope to have us—to live as those who have been captured, “imprisoned,” made to abound in hope. May it be, Lord, let it be indeed.
What would that look like? Thankfully, it wouldn’t mean we’d be on an emotional high all the time, for that would be exhausting for us and scary for others. Neither would it mean we’d pressure friends to “see the silver-lining in every cloud” or “make lemonade out of all lemons.”
Indeed, the hope you give us doesn’t turn us into joy-police—giving out warning citations, then tickets to the downhearted and melancholy. Good heavens no. Literally, as heaven is good, hope won’t make us dispensers of hype, but conduits of your kindness and compassion.
The more hope we have, the more patient we can be in our troubles (Rom.12:12) and the more present and caring we will be with our friends’ heartaches, suffering, and struggles. After all, “bruised reeds and flickering wicks” loved it when you came close (Matt.12:20: Isa.42:3). May the same be true of us, Jesus. So Very Amen.